Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 

 A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best. 

A forgiving heart.  I am grateful that I have a forgiving heart.   I will forgive most people of most things.  I am not one to hold a grudge.  I may never forget, but I will always forgive.  I think life is a lot easier if you are able to forgive others.   Bearing ill will mostly only hurt you anyways.  More often than not, the other person could care less . . .  or is completely unaware of any ill feelings you may hold against them.  Besides, if we expect to be forgiven, we must be able to forgive.

Little things that mean a lot.   The older I get, the more I realize that it is the small things in life which matter the most.  I am grateful for a heart that finds joy in the simple things which embroider my days and nights.  Life is not so much about wanting things as it is about wanting what you already have.   I am content.

 

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Time spent with family.  I had a very "family" weekend.  On Friday my sister and I took dad and Maryann to the mall and had some shopping time together. We went to Dollarama which I had not been to in a while. While we were in there we ran into Tim, Eileen's husband and then we spent a bit of time with Eileen in the parking lot when we were going back to our car.  It's always nice to run into family.  Then on Saturday Dad took us out for and early supper for my Birthday. My Birthday is on Wednesday and he always goes to the Big Scoop on Wednesdays with Hazel, so we did the dinner on Saturday. We went up to the Crow's Nest for fish and chips. Always good.  Then yesterday I had supper at Cindy's with the family. She made a delicious chicken dish which we enjoyed with new potatoes and carrots.  Pecan pie for dessert. My birthday pie. We were going to have it on Saturday, but everyone was full of the fish and chips! 

My sister and I both did pie for our Birthday desserts this year. It makes for a nice change!

Time spent with family. Priceless!

 

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I didn't get to church yesterday morning. I didn't sleep well Saturday night from indigestion (absolutely my fault for eating a heavy fat laden meal late in the day.) Anyways I was able to watch it via zoom. I always enjoy the time spent listening to talks, singing the hymns, etc. Keeping the Sabbath Day Holy in whatever way that I can.  I like to put the Mormon Tabernacle on YouTube, Music and the Spoken Word. I just let it run, all day through. It is a lovely peaceful way to spend a Sunday. Very relaxing.

I had time to do some sketching this weekend. Very rough, this is. Lots of erasing and do-overs. I have not done any sketching in a long time now. It felt good to have a pencil in my hands. I am a long way off from coloring things in.  There is lots of work left to do on this, but it is a start.

 

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Still praying for rain. Things are still desperately dry and are likely to be for some time. If we do get rain, it needs to be prolonged and of a steady nature, not torrential. The ground is so dry now it would just run off.  We want rain that will be absorbed. There were several fires not too far from Cindy's on the weekend, but thankfully they were both contained very quickly. Farm machinery has been catching alight throughout the valley as well. Things are just too dry.  

I am grateful for prayer and the hope that it brings. All will be well.

 

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The peace that passeth understanding. This is the peace that faith in the Savior and the Gospel brings into my life. Things do not always work out the way we expect them to, hope for, or even plan for, but faith helps to bring about a peace in life that helps me/us to deal with whatever comes my/our way. Even in the hard, hard times. It's what has helped me anyways.  You may or may not believe in the power of prayer, or in a higher power. We all have ways and means of coping with the hard times, the sad times, etc. This is mine. I am grateful for it and for my belief's.

 

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Cool nights. Although it has been really hot in the daytime, the nights have been blessedly cool enough to be able to sleep comfortably. I think if you can sleep at night, then you can handle almost anything during the day. The world seems better and brighter after a good night's sleep. Cooler nights help.

These two.  I know you can hardly see him. Just the tip of his ear above the arm of the chair. They are busy watching the bluejays and chipmunk.  These two little furry babies bring immeasurable joy into my life. I love them very much. When they are happy, I am happy.

 

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My life. It's a sweet balance of things. Family, faith, friends, pets, home, work and play. I really have nothing to complain about when it comes right down to it. I am blessed.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.The only unique contribution

that we will ever make in this world

will be born of our creativity.

~Brene Brown ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

 ° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today . . . Roasted Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Tarragon Dressing.  Quite simply delicious.  

I hope that you have a lovely day. Be happy. Be blessed. May it be filled with the simple things in life which bring us the most joy.  Whatever you experience today, don't forget!

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And I do too!